Warp Token Update

2k words

***

“Man-thing! Look!”

Roderick had just finished off the dazed Skaven, plunging his stolen sword into his chest, following her pointed finger as he freed it. The second group of Skaven was halfway down the hill, around ten ratmen sharing a wordless warcry, but two of their number stood out. They were taller, wearing the Skaven equivalent of a knight’s armour, flanking the procession. They were both wearing full-face masks, two breathing canisters jutting from the sides of their chins. One looked like he was carrying the most oversized blunderbuss in existence, while the other was clutching giant globes in his gloved paws.

The latter of which suddenly lifted his arms, tossing one such globe in an overhand throw, Roderick noting he had dozens more of the devices strapped to his chestplate, the balls jangling together with each stride. The tossed globe fell a few meters short of Roderick, the glass canister smashing against a stone. It seemed to be made of glass, the device shattering violently, but rather than the earth being rocked by an explosion as a grenade would do, instead a cloud of green vapours erupted from the impact, the fog rolling out like a liquid in all directions of the compass.

“Don’t breath-smell it!” Skyseeker warned, hopping away despite being further from the cloud than Roderick. “Tampered warpstone gas, very poisonous!”

“I can see that!”

Another cloud of warpstone erupted on the left, then the right, a wall of dense, green vapours obscuring the advancing Skaven. They were using it like a smokescreen, no doubt taking the opportunity to flank.

“Tree time!” Skyseeker yelled, dashing further up the pass. Roderick concurred, following behind her as they circled the warspstone gas, Roderick ripping another paper charge open with his teeth, his hand steady even as he hurried to keep pace with Skyseeker.

He could hear the skittering of paws on his right, Roderick turning his head to see a trio of Skaven appear on the spot the first group of rats had been slain. They scanned the area, confused for a moment before they spotted Roderick. They made to pursue, but before they could, another globe of warpstone toxin landed by their feet, a cloud of gas spreading with a sound reminiscent of a leaking steam valve, the Skaven shreikign as they scrambled clear. The one throwing the globes either didn’t know, or didn’t care he was putting his fellow Skaven at risk by chucking them blindly into the pass.

Thumbing back the firing mechanism, Roderick held his pistol ready as he made for the trees, spying Skyseeker’s pink tail slip into the undergrowth. He followed after her, pressing his back against the nearest tree, panting through his helmet as he leaned out to peer in the Skaven’s direction.

Through the closest wall of vapours, a figure emerged. It was the other armoured ratman, wielding the bulky, blunderbuss-like weapon. From neck to waist, he was decked in armour, parts of it painted over in a shade of green just as deep as the gas surrounding him, his face protected by a bulky rebreather. What appeared to be a giant brass ball was strapped to his back, with a canister poking out of the top, a large piece of glowing rock sitting flush against the glass casing. That must be a piece of warpstone Skyseeker had told him about.

He could the rat rasping through his mask as he brought his weapon to bear, aiming its tube-like muzzle in Roderick’s direction. He pulled a mechanism fitted to the stock, a stream of green liquid spewing across the ground. It msut have been oil, the grass and rocks suddenly igniting, erupting in flames the colour of emeralds as the rat lifted the weapon, a scorching heat washing over Roderick’s face.

He heard Skyseeker shriek somewhere to his left, the ratwoman tossing herself as far away as possible, Roderick doing the same. He threw himself to the ground just in time, the tree he’d been hiding behind setting ablaze, the ratman waving his flaming weapon back and forth to spread the inferno.

A shrub to his right parted, one of the poorly-armed rats narrowing skimming the edge of the flames as he barrelled into the trees, his beady eyes locked on Roderick’s. The two exchanged blows, Roderick dispatching the rat as he climbed to his feet. He couldn’t see Skyseeker, but he could hear shouting somewhere to his rear, her high-pitched voice mixed in with a few others. She must be dealing with her own ambushers.

Another spurt of liquid flames penetrated through the trees, the armoured ratman trudging fearlessly into his proceeding blaze, his furry feet clad in what must be insulated boots. He swept his warpstone weapon in wide arcs, cackling like a madman as he ignited everything in his path. Roderick shielded himself with an arm as the flaming weapon angled in his direction, feeling scorching heat on his arm as he was caught in the cone of fire.

Roderick retreated deeper into the forest, spotting Skyseeker further to the left. She was duelling with another Skaven, the two rats dodging and snarling, her goggles switching from her opponent to the flamethrower. She was dangerously close to the cone of fire, the flamethrower-wielding rat advancing in her direction. Both she and her opponent would be set alight in mere seconds.

He held his breath as he drew his pistol, lining up the iron sights with his eye. His vambrace was trailing green flames, but it didn’t affect his aim, Roderick firing a bullet at the ratman’s rebreather, the Skaven’s crazed laughter cut short as one of the trailing tubes popped off like a snapped suspension cable.

The rat dropped to his knees, keeling over his weapon as though trying to hug it. Skyseeker spared him a glance, offering a curt nod before returning her attention to the rat she was sparring with.

Roderick redrew his stolen Skaven sword, spotting another ratman hopping through the bushes to his flank, drawn by the sound of the gunshot. He didn’t want to waste ammo on these simple Skaven, Roderick stepping in with a lunge, slicing the rat across his belly, dropping him with an ease that bordered on trivialness.

Seeing that Skyseeker had dispatched her opponent, he scanned the trees for the creature throwing the globes. He didn’t have to look for long, the armoured rat leaping through the treeline just behind the corpse of the pyromaniac, seemingly undeterred by the grim sight as he moved deeper into the trees.

The Skaven’s hearing was keen, even with the mask, the vermin swinging round in Roderick’s direction when he plugged his handgun with a ramrod. The ratman put a hand to his vest, where two more of the transparent globes dangled from his clasps, but he couldn’t beat the speed it took to pull a trigger.

The pistol fired, the crack echoing, Roderick watching through the wisp of smoke as the ratman stumbled, suddenly becoming engulfed in a cloud of green vapours. He blinked in surprise. Was his whole body made up of the perilous gas, the bullet bursting him like a balloon? He wouldn’t be surprised, Skaven were vermin that thrived in decay and toxins.

As he made to reload, the lingering vapours swirled, and the masked ratman rushed into view, his frenzied wailing muffled by his rebreather. Roderick lifted a brow, certain he hadn’t missed, his eyes wandering down to the Skaven’s vest. He could see blood trailing from a bullet wound, along with part of a smashed glass glob. His bullet must have hit one of the weapons, the device slowing the shot enough to spare the Skaven.

The globadier drew a blade from his belt, too close for Roderick to reload his pistol before it was on him. He squared off against the ratman, the rodent pulling the last globe hanging from his vest. Barely a few memters away, he threw it in an overhand arc, Roderick narrowly dodging to the side, the globe skimming past his helmet, shattering on the ground somewhere behind him.

The globadier closed in, swinging his sword in a sideways arc, Roderick meeting it with his own blade, the two Skaven weapons clashing with a metallic ring. Roderick followed up with an uppercut, but the ratman stepped out of the way, holding his blade in two hands and thrusting. Roderick let the rat glance him on the arm, trusting his armour to take the blow while he counterattacked.

He managed to catch the ratman on the shoulder, driving his sword into one of his vest straps, but the point met resistance. The globadier’s armour was just as sturdy as his own, maybe moreso, his blade bouncing off the brass-coloured metal harmlessly, forcing Roderick off balance.

The rat took advantage of his surprise, putting Roderick on the defensive as he delivered swing after swing, never repeating the same angle twice, Roderick ceding space as he retreated. The Skaven switched his weapon from one paw to the other, driving a fist towards Roderick’s belly. The plates on the knuckles of his glove must have been reinforced, the blow knocking the air out of Roderick’s lungs.

He knew Skaven were fast, but this particular vermin was downright crazed, Roderick unable to counter under the onslaught. He was forced to take another step backwards, tensing as he realised what the rat was doing. He could sense the cloud of toxic gas directly behind him, feeling its presence like a wall. He wasn’t sure what coming into contact with the warpstone gas would do, and he wasn’t eager to find out. He had to finish this vermin off quickly, but his crude blade did little against the heavily armoured rat.

The globadier drove his blade towards his face, Roderick raising his weapon to block. As the blades clashed, he swiped left, the rat mirroring his movements, the two weapons locking together at the crossguards. Roderick put all his strength into the clinch, the ratman leaning closer as he did the same, their helmets almost touching as they buckled under one another’s efforts. Roderik could see his reflection in the ratman’s visor, the rodent’s scowl just visible beyond the glass. The sight gave him an idea.

Rather than try to overpower, Roderick instead drew his head back, clocking the rat’s mask with his helmet in a desperate headbutt. His vision blurred with the violent impact, but the globadier recoiled, lifting a sluggish hand to his face, opening him up to a crushing strike from Roderick’s pommel. He drove the blunt edge into the Skaven’s muzzle, hearing the glass part of his mask shatter, one of the jutting canisters popping off like a cork from a bottle.

With a snarl, Roderick pressed forward, stepping to the rat’s side and whacking him across the back of his head with his blade. The rodent’s neck was also protected by a collar of metal, but the force of the impact drove the Skaven forward, while Roderick circled around to his rear, forcing their positions to reverse. Now it was the Skaven who had his back to the gas.

The rat scrutinised him through his now cracked visor, his eyes full of fury. Roderick came at him, the Skaven reacting slower to his strikes than before, his damaged vision giving Roderick the edge he needed. He forced the rodent to defend from above, feinting his strike, instead delivering a savage kick to the rat’s stomach, the blow powerful enough to send the Skaven arching through the air.

The Skaven was swallowed into the thick cloud of gas, his figure becoming shadowy and distorted as he landed on his rear. The rat began to sputter, swiping desperately at his masked face as the gas seeped into his lungs, his rebreather no longer functional.

Roderick held no pity for the Skaven, but even he felt shivers crawl down his back as the rat began to make a horrible death rattle, his limbs kicking out as tried to claw his way out of the cloud, his weakening limbs failing him. A few grim moments later, and the ratman began to gradually relax, the Skaven curling up like a dead spider ashe went silent.

He turned away, fishing a paper charge from his belt as he examined the scene around him. Everything was on fire, the distinct cone of emerald flames expanding to every nearby twig and leaf. On the far side of the burned out clearing, he watched as Skyseeker wiped her magical blades on the grass, cleaning them of blood before stowing them inside her many belts and straps. He could see the bodies of four or five Skaven littering the ground around her, she must have dealt with the rest while he’d mopped up the globadier.

“Are… Are you well?” he asked, trying to steady his breathing. Skyseeker nodded her hooded head, circling the flames, standing by his side as she glanced from him, to the globadier, then back to him.

“Rick-rod killed warpstone throwers…” she asked, sounding genuinely confused. “Not think it survive…”

“My thanks for the vote of confidence,” he replied, lifting his visor and rubbing his temple, his headbutt still making him dizzy. “We should make a hasty retreat, the shots and the smoke will draw more of your ilk.”